Svend-Erik Skaaning
Many observers say that democracy has undergone a large-scale global decline in recent decades. However, presenting evidence differently leads us to different conclusions. This calls for increased caution and reflection among those discussing democratic trends, writes Svend-Erik Skaaning Read more
Marlene Laruelle
Using the lens of illiberalism, writes Marlene Laruelle, we can explore the emergence of a new rightist resistance to the current social and moral order. Illiberalism interacts on a permanent basis with liberalism, and is a byproduct of neoliberal ideologies Read more
Fizza Batool
With another Prime Minister ousted before completing his five-year term, many blame Pakistan's instability on competition for power among political parties. But Fizza Batool argues that illiberalism, not democracy, is to blame Read more
Martino Comelli
Christian democracy is the political culture that has been the driving force behind European integration. Yet, according to Martino Comelli, it has also facilitated the democratic backsliding of some countries of central and east Europe by providing an illiberal political toolbox of narratives and policies Read more
Richard Sakwa
Richard Sakwa argues that the Russian invasion of Ukraine is the culmination of a long period of increasing tensions between Russia and the West. The portents were not only ignored by the West, but misunderstood, and security concerns became part of a broader cultural alienation Read more
Hannah Muzee
The new democratically oriented regimes that emerged in Rwanda and Uganda after the 1980s aspired to overcome postcolonial sectarianism. Those aspirations now appear largely to have receded, argue Hannah Muzee and Femi Mimiko, as both regimes have drifted into personalised politics and illiberal practices Read more
Kinga Korányi
Viktor Orbán has just emerged victorious in the Hungarian national election of 3 April, despite his pro-Russian stance and friendship with Vladimir Putin, which had been expected to tarnish his party Fidesz’s popularity. Kinga Koranyi argues that Fidesz managed to turn its response to the war in Ukraine into a successful campaign tool Read more
Jasper T. Kauth
Not all illiberalisms are the same, argues Jasper T. Kauth. While anti-democratic, disruptive illiberalism and anti-liberal, ideological illiberalism may act simultaneously, analysing them individually will help us identify drivers of this phenomenon. Read more